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PLAYGRODND OF THE WEST 



What Humboldt County, California, 

Offers the Autoist and 

Sportsman 



BY LEIGH H. IRVIN 





Booklet No, 2, Issued by the 
Humboldt Promotion and Development Committee 



FM 

. Hsryz 



IT IS difficult to write of the splendid 
■ scenes abounding in Humboldt County 
without appearing guilty of over-state- 
ment. To become statistical in the pres- 
ence of the sublime would be like sleeping 
during the performance of a Beethoven 
symphony or a grand opera. In other 
words, it is difficult to deal in colors 
without using paint — and nature during 
Humboldt's summer is full of high lights 
and minor chords. 



Cfye playground of tfye XDest 



(§ 



P THE delights of Humboldt County \olumes 
might be written, but the sole purpose of 
this brief description is to call attention to 
some of the striking features of a picturesque 
region that is one of the least known in all the 
Golden West. It is a land of dream summers, and 
is destined to become popular with tourists who 
seek an outing during the favored season. 

The isolation of the more rugged portions of the 
County is almost as great as that of some of tho 
remote fastnesses of Canadian North America, 
where primitive trapping and hunting constitute 
almost the only vocation among the hardy pio- 
neers. 

Many parts of Humboldt County suggest such 
scenes as are portrayed by Fenimore Cooper in 
his descriptions of the early American frontier, 
barring the Indian warfare. Most of the remoter 
areas present a wide expanse of mountain soli- 
tudes, where long-bearded cabin dwellers amuse 
themselves by pursuing bears and mountain lions, 
by fishing and general sports — where venison 
either fresh or jerked, is the staple article of diet, 
and where steelheads and mountain trout, grouse 
and quail, are as plentiful as when Junipero Serra 
established the Franciscan Missions. 

MEN OF ANTIQUE MOULD. 

Surely Portola, Ortega, and Sir Francis Drake 
beheld characters no more primitive, no more in- 

3 



dependent of the world's increasing cost of living 
than are some of Humboldt's old masters of wood 
lore, who are at home with nature and the stars. 
These guardians of the primitive forest are often 
excellent companions and entertainers. The 
visit of a tourist from the great outside world 
spurs them to become generous hosts and guides. 
Their rude tables are frequently laden with del- 
icacies from forest and stream, tree and vine. 
Around their cabins grow luscious fruits and veg- 
etables — food as delicious as any ever eaten in 
secret places. 

These brawny men of the generous West are at 
home amid scenes that impress the casual visitor 
with awe, or lure him like visions of Paradise. 

Painters and poets, lovers of nature, men and 
women weary of the narrow life of cities, find 
rest amid the scenes that make Humboldt the 
Switzerland of North America, the playground of 
the Golden West. Such visitors stand entranced 
in the presence of peaks that kindle with grow- 
ing lights, or fade in the dissolving purples of af- 
ternoon. 

To become a sentinel on some of the crags that 
overlook the mighty Pacific, to behold the yellow 
shafts of morning light illumine the valleys, and 
watch the day march westward until it fades in 
the gloaming and departs over the sunset sea, is 
to become intoxicated with such day dreams as 
soothe weary nerves in a land of sleep and rest. 

To read of scenes that "set the pulses leaping" 
may please the timid and the sedentary, but the 
peaceful art of fireside exploring does not appeal 



to that large and increasing number of Eastern 
and foreign tourists who have fallen under the 
lure of the Golden West, who feel toward this new 
land much as the first men felt, under the spell 
that led them to eat of the earth and call it de- 
licious. 

To travelers in search of experiences that givs 
an insight into primitive grandeur, Humboldt 
County, which Bret Harte called "America's utter- 
most West," offers the luring variety of ancient 
redwood forests, mighty canyons, great mountain 
peaks, long stretches of thundering sea coast, and 
the solitary haunts of big game. Everywhere the 
prospect is wild and pleasing. 

AN ABSENCE OF MONOTONY 

There is an absence of monotony, for every turn 
of the trail reveals the unexpected. There is 
every variety from fertile valleys and bird- 
haunted spots of mystery to rugged mountains and 
roaring cataracts; from the tempered light of tht 
woods, "like perpetual morning," to the noisy sea- 
cliffs of picturesque old Trinidad. The vast 
forests alone are worth a voyage across the sea, 
for no other wooded area on the globe approaches 
them in extent and magnificence. 

The greater part of the County consists of 
virgin wilds, remote from railroads, and far from 
beaten paths. The summers in the forests ar« 
not only climatically perfect, but they are revela- 
tions of beauty, silence, and grandeur. Painters 
have noted the fact that the wonders of light and 
shadow here work their most luring spells. 



There is every tone from rosy dawn to melting 
sunsets and the sheen of moonlit nights. The 
songs of birds, the winds murmuring in the high 
branches, the music of unseen waterfalls, and the 
call of the wild beast to his mate, come over the 
morning hills of a world that is new and clean. 
Amid the haunting mysteries of forest and moun- 
tain the visitor stands entranced with a picture 
that melts in strange weird lights. Now and then 
one catches the glint of flashing waters in cas- 
cades and pools amid the tangled wildwood of 
mountain retreats. It is not unusual to come 
upon untrodden Edens of mystery among the 
valleys and high plateaus; but at the very moment 
when one fancies himself alone, he is likely to 
meet with pleasant surprises, for amid the soli- 
tude of scenic glories, lowing kine and bands of 
sheep now and then thread their way over little 
valleys that dip and rise until purling streams or 
crystal springs are reached. 

All forms and colors revel in the great empires 
of the ranges. Massive domes and sky-reaching 
peaks here and there suggest the mighty face of 
El Capitan, with phantoms of miniature Shastas 
and Hoods in the graceful distance — countless 
gorges and little Yosemites arresting attention 
along the way. 

TRINIDAD'S RUGGED COAST 

From some viewpoints, especially in the vicinity 
of Trinidad, one may behold gray sea-lines afar, or 
cloud-capped peaks that lift their hoary heads 
toward the stars — wild prospects that stretch be- 

6 



yond the limits of human vision, the entire spec- 
tacle unfolding vast panoramas from the yester- 
days of geologic time. Many of the cycles in 
countless world-building processes — great cata- 
clysms that changed the face of the globe — lie in 
strata piled upon strata, until the mind is be- 
wildered in contemplation of nature's restless 
forces of the long ago, and the changes wrought 
by erosion and millions of storms beating out 
their carvings through the long ages of the past. 
Here and there are mountain-high scars made by 
ancient glaciers, deep rents torn by primeval 
earthquakes, rock trenches, and the sculpturing of 
prehistoric floods. 

But over it all, like the mingling of the dawn 
and the dew, brood the gentle influences of thous- 
ands of years of forest life — for the great red- 
woods hide the geologic faults, and mantle the 
most rugged scenes with a majesty that can not 
be forgotten. The spell of ancient forests is the 
unique and permeating influence in the character- 
istic landscapes of California's great northern 
wonderland. 

Those who like pictuturesque coast scenery will 
find it in the vicinity of Trinidad, the oldest town 
but one in the State — a spot, withal, full of ro- 
mantic associations. It was here that Bret 
Harte wrote his first story. It was an account 
of an Indian war in which Captain Grant, after- 
wards the famous General of the Civil War, was a 
conspicuous figure. Grant's career in Humboldt 
antedated that of Harte by more than a decade, 
but the writer used the material of the Grant cam- 



paign in his story. Harte was then learning the 
printer's trade on the Humboldt Times. 

But Trinidad needs no background of either 
military or literary history to make it interesting, 
for nature has given the town the setting that adds 
a distinction of its own. The village lies embos- 
omed amid scenes of rugged beauty. It is tht 
center in a stretch of some twenty miles of the 
most remarkable coast line in America. There 
are headlands that stand like Gibraltars against 
the thundering billows that are unbroken in a 
sweep of thousands of miles. 

The old town lies in an encircling series of ter- 
raced benches that form a crescent. In the hol- 
low of this natural curve, a few hundred feet 
above sea level, are the habitations of men. Four 
hundred feet above the ocean is Trinidad Head, 
its light-house glistening like a star. Beneath 
that rugged cliff the sea forever dashes in majes- 
tic splendor, sometimes picturesque in quiet 
beauty, again pounding and rebellowing in the 
fury of the storm. 

BREAKERS ROLL HIGH 

At times the swells break through mighty blow- 
holes and sea-ca\es, casting a foaming column 
more than a hundred feet high. Doctor Edwin 
Van Note has often witnessed the fury of these 
storms. Writing of the rugged conditions that 
frequently exist, he says: "To behold the sea 
in its awful majesty here, one must stand on 
the sandspits of the lagoons, where the giant 
swells, coming through sixty feet of water, plunge 

8 



in one mighty breaker as they roar and bound a 
hundred feet high on the beach. This is the 
edge of the world, the Niagara of the mighty Pa- 
cific. The concussions rattle windows a mils 
away and the booming disturbs slumber." 

Yet just back of these scenes are the mighty 
redwoods, tranquil in their hoary age. In the 
background are splendid trout streams that rush 
into the sea, plunging through canyons or rip- 
pling through peaceful valleys on their way. 

CLIMATE OF THE SUMMERS 

There is wide range of temperature during the 
■ummers of Humboldt County. Eureka and the 
■ection for a few miles back of it have the coolest 
lummer climate in the United States, the least 
yearly range between summer and winter not ex- 
ceeding 37 degrees. Hot days are unknown in 
this favored section. A temperature of 80 degrees 
is regarded as high. In the valleys and hills, 
however, the thermometer reaches true summer 
proportions. The redwoods, moreover, conserve 
moisture and the woods are always cool. Like the 
rest of California, Humboldt County is free from 
summer rains. The prevailing winds from the west 
five the County that sea tang which is the de- 
light of the Coast resorts in particular. The ab- 
solute highest temperature ever known in Eureka. 
was on June 6, 1903, which was 85.2 degrees above 
sero. The lowest temperature ever recorded was 
on January 14, 1888, 20.3 degrees above zero. The 
average daily range of temperature in 25 years was 
10.7 degrees. The average annual rainfall is 



44.52 inches. The average winter temperature is 
47.4 degrees above zero; spring, 50.2; summer 
55.3; autumn, 53.4. 

THE TOURIST SEASON 

It should be borne in mind that the season for 
tourists in Humboldt County extends from the 
cessation of the spring rains until the beginning: 
of the autumn storms. June, July, August, and Sep- 
tember about exhaust the season of play. 

An overland automobile service begins as soon 
as the roads are in condition — usually about June 
1 — and extends until about October 1. The au- 
tomobiles connect with the trains at Willits and 
convey passengers to Eureka over the wonderful 
routes described in the foregoing account. From 
Eureka to Willits, the railway terminal, the route is 
simply reversed. 

During the summer season hundreds of automo- 
biles traverse the road from San Francisco to Eu- 
reka. The picturesque Trinity Highway will be 
in splendid shape for parties desiring to make the 
tour from the Valley hereafter. 

The state highway will run from San Rafael to 
Eureka, and funds for that portion of the road 
have already been voted. Tourists from Wash- 
ington and Oregon can now come by way of 
Grant's Pass, Crescent City, and Trinidad to Eu- 
reka. If a state highway should, with the cooper- 
ation of Oregon, be extended over this route to 
Grant's Pass, the autoing would be excellent. The 
state highway up the Sacramento Valley to Red 
Bluff and Redding will enable tourists to branch 

10 



off from either of these places to Eureka over 
the Trinity Highway. 

THE OVERLAND ROUTES 

The overland automobile journey from Willits, 
in Mendocino County, to Eureka, has been pro- 
nounced the greatest scenic automobile tour on the 
American Continent. Willits is 161 miles away 
by one route, 151 by another. Suppose the jour- 
ney be briefly outlined from Bell's Springs, in 
Mendocino County, a point 108 miles from Eureka 
by the long route. This is the highest point on 
the road, being 1 4,600 feet above sea level and 
five miles below the Humboldt border. It is at 
the top of a rough ridge. A hotel, a store, and 
supplies may be found here. Thirteen miles far- 
ther along brings the tourist to Harris, where a 
store, feed stable, hotel, and other conveniences 
exist. 

A CHOICE OF ROUTES 

From Harris there is a choice of two routes into 
Eureka. The first is down the Pruitland Ridge, 
through Pruitland, past McCann's Mill and South 
Fork, a new town across the river from Dyerville. 
Here the route is over the Devil's Elbow, a bold 
turn on the mountain side, being six or seven hun- 
dred feet above the river — a spot that alarms the 
timid. 

From South Fork one takes the route of the 
State Highway at Dyerville, just across the river. 
There is a splendid by-run to GarberviRe, 33 miles 
away. Along this route one beholds a marvelous 

11 



view of redwoods and the rivsr — the South Fork 
of the Eel. There is splendid fishing here, and in 
the hills is fruit for the gathering. There are 
two stopping places between South Fork and 
Garberville. One is twelve miles, the other 
twenty-two miles away. Hunting, fishing, swim- 
ming, and boating abound in these parts. 

Ten miles from South Fork one comes to Pep- 
perwood, with a store and a hotel. One mile on 
toward Eureka is F. W. Georgeson's resort, an ex- 
cellent hotel containing modern conveniences 
such as hot and cold water and a table laden with 
delicacies. 

Ten miles farther along, and the visitor is at 
Rio Dell, which has a store, a hotel, and good 
fishing, particularly in the fall. Steel-heads, sal- 
mon, trout, and other fish abound. Some of the 
King salmon found here weigh as much as fifty 
pounds. Spearing them is great sport at certain 
seasons. 

At Rio Dell the main Eel River may be crossed 
on a ferry. The north bank of the river should 
then be followed to Alton, only five miles away. 
At Rio Dell, incidentally, the visitor is only two 
miles from the Pacific Lumber Company's great 
plant at Scotia. The very best steel-head fishing 
in the world extends from Rio Dell to the sea, 
which is something like twenty-five miles away. 

Fortuna is three miles farther on the road. It 
is a thriving little town that contains all modern 
necessaries of life. Following the river, Singley** 
Station is soon reached, four miles along. From 
this point it is easy to cross to Table Bluff and 

12 



Salmon Creek, four miles away. One mile above 
Singley's is the concrete bridge to Ferndalt. 
Waddington is five miles to the east from Fern- 
dale. It has a store but no hotel. From Sinf- 
ley's a beautiful trip is through Loleta. 

From Ferndale the climb up the Bear River 
Ridge is fifteen miles to Capetown. There is 
plenty of trout fishing in the Bear River, with tho 
best quail shooting in the United States on Bear 
River Ridge. There is also a chance to shoot 
plenty of deer in season. 

OVER TO PETROLIA 

Following the road it is sixteen miles farther to 
Petrolia, on the Mattole River, which is filled with 
trout, as is its North Fork. Apples and pears 
here abound, for the visitor is near Albert Etter'i 
home — Etter, the horticultural wizard of the North. 
From Petrolia it is fifty miles to Garberville. 
Here we are in the vicinity of tan oak and pine. 
Bttersburg is thirty-two miles out on the roai 
from Garberville. It should be remarked that 
this is a great oil country, which is the reason 
Petrolia is the name of the chief town. Forty 
miles from Petrolia is Briceland, headquarters of 
the tanning industry, or that part of it which ex- 
tracts the tannic acid from the bark. Briceland 
is ten miles from Garberville. 

The other choice of routes from Harris takes 
the tourist to the right, the overland journey just 
described having been to the left. It Is ten miles 
to Alder Point, a new town on the River. The 
bridge is here crossed and the run Is made to 

13 



Blocksburg, twelve miles from Alder Point. This 
is a rugged country, excellent for apples, and 
abounding in deer and other game. There is a 
hotel here. Between Alder Point and Blocks- 
burg there are excellent camping places in the vi- 
cinity of fishing pools, grouse, and other game. 
One should take vegetable supplies with him to en- 
Joy the camp life along Dobbyn Creek, which Is 
midway between Alder Point and Blocksburg. In 
both these places supplies may be obtained for au- 
tomobiles and camping parties. At both Blocks- 
burg and Harris are telephone stations. 

PICTURESQUE FORT SEWARD 

Fort Seward, famous in history and unique in 
its picturesque beauty, lies seven miles down the 
River from Alder Point. It nestles in a valley 
between Harris and Blocksburg. The properties 
of the Port Seward Development Company extend 
for sixteen miles along the river. Deer, grouse, 
quail, and excellent fishing here abound. A num- 
ber of summer homes are being planned in the 
vicinity of the station, where a town is under way. 
The hills abound in huckle berries, mistletoe, rho- 
dodendron, and holly berries. It is twenty-two 
miles from Blocksburg to Bridgeville, on the beau- 
tiful Van Duzen, a superb fishing stream. Dur- 
ing the summer months brook trout are plentiful. 
Deer, quail, and other game abound along the Van 
Duzen, which is a tributary of Eel River. It is 
twenty miles to Carlotta, the road lying along the 
river. An excellent hotel will be found here, also 
a store well equipped with camping supplies. 

14 



From Carlotta it is three miles to Hydesville, and 
the same distance farther on is Rohnerville. 

A wonderful scenic trip is from Bridgeville to 
the right, over Kneeland Prairie, a plateau about 
2,200 feet above sea level. It is plainly visible 
from Eureka, and from its splendid eminences the 
view is superb in all directions. 

Areata is twelve miles from Eureka. An ex- 
ceedingly delightful journey is from Areata to Al- 
liance and from Alliance to the right up the beau- 
tiful Mad River Valley eight miles to Blue Lake 
and ten to Korbel. 

The angler will be delighted with the Ashing of 
Mad River and the North Fork thereof. One is 
climbing almost all the way from the moment he 
leaves the splendid hotel at Korbel until he 
reaches Maple Creek, sixteen miles away, the half- 
way point between Korbel and Maple Creek being 
Anderson's. Mitchell's resort is a place of rest en 
Maple Creek, which is a tributary of the main 
Mad River. Hundreds of thousands of acres in 
this section abound in deer and other game. 

Going northeast from Korbel, Trinity River is 
thirty miles away. Twelve miles farther along is 
the famous Hoopa Indian Reservation. The Hoopa 
Valley is world-famous for its serene beauty of 
landscape and foliage. 

One of the famous Coast drives is from Areata 
to Trinidad, sixteen miles north. From Trinidad 
to Big Lagoon, ten miles farther, one beholds 
matchless scenery along the Coast, pursuing a di- 
rection almost due north. Big Lagoon is a tri- 
angular body of clear, brackish water, lying in. a 

15 



bed in the hills. Here the work of erosion and 
flood is in evidence. In this wonderful lake the 
trout fishing is superb, while duck and snipe 
shooting abound in season. The Lagoon is fed 
by Maple Creek. A good hotel will be a welcome 
feature of the tour. Stone Lagoon is six miles 
farther along. These famous lagoons are wooded, 
the fishing and hunting in each being of the same 
character. There is room for excellent resorts 
at both places, while Trinidad, the point from 
which the start is made, is almost certain to have 
a landing place for steamers before many years. 
There is no bar here, the water is deep, and all 
that is needed is a proper wharf. 

THE BULL CREEK FOREST 

Those who can afford the side trips should not 
miss seeing the famous Bull Creek forest. Bull 
Creek runs into the South Fork of Eel River. The 
world's greatest forest lies a mile above Dyerville. 
There are about forty trees to the acre — more than 
four million feet of lumber. The trees are the 
largest in all the redwood belt. The redwood, or 
Sequoia Sempervirens, grows in a limited area or. 
the Pacific Coast. This region extends from the 
southern boundary of Oregon to Punta Gorda in 
Monterey County. These wonderful trees are 
limited to the fog belt of the Coast, rarely grow- 
ing more than thirty miles from the sea or at an 
altitude above three thousand feet. Some of the 
largest trees reach a height of three hundred feet 
The diameter at the base of the largest specimens 
runs from eighteen to twenty- eight feet. While 

16 



the Sequoia Gigantea trees of the famous Cala- 
veras Grove are taller and greater in age and di- 
ameter than the redwood, the redwoods are far 
more graceful. In some of the redwood specimen! 
the diameter is great for a long distance — a hun- 
dred feet or more from the base of the tree. 
Their age carries one back at least a thousand 
years before Columbus discovered America. 

One of the greatest improvements of modern 
years in Humboldt County is seen in the pictur- 
esque Trinity Highway. It will be possible, in 
the summer season, to reach either Redding or 
Red Bluff, in the Sacramento Valley, in from 
twelve to sixteen hours by automobile. In other 
words, the tourist may leave Eureka after break- 
fast and be in Red Bluff for a late dinner. He can 
then catch a night train from Portland to San 
Francisco and be in the metropolis for breakfast 
the next morning. Or he can leave Redding or 
Red Bluff in the morning and be in Eureka in the 
evening. 

The scenery along this highway is pronounced 
as noble as any in America. In crossing South 
Fork Mountain, an altitude of more than 4,000 
feet is reached, the summit itself being at least 
2,000 feet higher than the road. The Trinity 
Highway begins near Mad River, mounting stead- 
ily until a panoramic view of great splendor un- 
folds itself beneath the tourist, in the background, 
or beyond his entranced vision amid the glories of 
towering peaks. 

SOME GREAT PEAKS 

There is not opportunity here to specify th« 

17 



peaks and special points of the landscape in detail, 
but it should be said that King's Peak, Yallo 
Bollas, Rainbow Ridge, and Lasseck's Peak stand 
out in distinctive glory. Mountain lovers should 
not miss these remarkable elevations. Big game, 
wonderful fishing, and all that great scenery im- 
plies may be found in the vicinity of these noted 
landmarks. 

Both President Jordan, of Stanford University, 
and Dr. Gilbert, his famous associate in icthyology, 
declare Humboldt County the paradise of America 
for those who enjoy the sport of fishing. There 
are all sorts of opportunities for ensnaring the 
fishes of the streams and rivers with rod and line 
and net. 

SPORT FOR FISHERMEN 

In the 12* miles of rugged coast line of Hum- 
boldt County, with a landlocked bay consisting of 
twenty- eight miles of tidal area, with half a dozen 
rivers and scores of mountain streams flowing into 
the sea — rivers and streams fed by copious rains 
and always filled with fresh water, one finds all 
the favorable conditions for the sport old Izaak 
Walton loved so well that he wrote a famous book 
on the subject. 

In the springtime the smaller streams are a 
veritable Mecca for the lovers of the rod and 
reel. The wonderful brook trout are fitting ob- 
jects of pursuit. Each of the small streams flow- 
ing into or near the Bay teems with finny beauties 
runing from six to twelve inches in length. One 
or two hours' run from Eureka brings the angler 

18 



to Salmon Creek, Elk River, Ryan's Slough, Fresh- 
water, or Jacoby Creek. From any one of thest 
streams many well filled creels are the reward of 
the angler throughout the early months of the 
season. Yager Creek is also a noted stream, and 
a favorite of the anglers. 

Farther away, toward the north, Mad River, 
Lindsay Creek, Little River, Maple Creek, Red- 
wood Creek, Prairie Creek, and other streams are 
within from half a day to a day's journey. Each 
stream offers the finest sport known to fly, to troll, 
and to bait fishermen. To name the rivers and 
streams is to call up a train of delightful mem- 
ories. The game fish in these streams are larger 
than those in the tributaries of the Bay. Cut- 
throat trout sixteen inches long are common. 

Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon, and Freshwater La- 
goon — three large brackish lakes — about forty 
miles north of Eureka — are delightful for those 
who enjoy fishing. Ordinary trout abound, but 
Che lagoons are also filled with steel-heads from 
twenty to thirty inches long and weighing from 
five to fifteen pounds each. Rainbow trout of 
marvelous size and delicacy abound near the 
mouth of Maple Creek. These are from twelve to 
thirty inches long and may be taken on the fly or 
the troll. These handsome fish are also found in 
Stone Lagoon. 

WHERE TROUT ARE PLENTIFUL 

South of the Bay there are many excellent trout 
streams. Bear River and the Mattole, the Van 
Duzen, Lawrence Creek, Larribee Creek, the South 
Fork of the Eel and its many branches offer the 

19 



very best of early season sport, and most o'f the 
streams named continue to yield splendid fish 
throughout the open season. 

Ply fishing for steel-' oad trout in Eel River is 
the incomparable sport of the County anglers. 
The season begins in July and extends to the 
end of September, which is accounted the best 
month for this pastime. The steel-heads swarm 
in countless river pools. The open, broad river 
and the glorious background appeal to lovers of a 
real outing. The steel-heads, fresh from the 
ocean, are strong and vigorous. The fight they 
put up before conquered by the angler is worth a 
long journey by land and sea. These fish run 
from half a pound to twenty pounds in weight. 
Ordinary trout, salmon trout, chub salmon, King 
salmon, and some other varieties abound. "Greig's, 
Weymouth, Fortuna, Alton Scotia — these names 
bring pleasant memories to devotees of rod and 
reel. 

The remarkable fact in Eel River fishing is that 
the prize may weigh anywhere from two to forty 
pounds. 

Humboldt Bay abounds in rock-cod, flounders, 
■melt, herring, perch, torn cod, Alaska pickerel, sea 
trout, and salmon. In the ocean are caught rock- 
cod, halibut, seabass, hake, salmon, and some 
true salmon. 

Three or four varieties of clams abound in the 
Bay — softshell varieties, razor backs, butter clams. 
Mussels are found on the rocks all along the Coast, 
but those at Trinidad are famous for their size 

20 



and delicacy. Little River clams are noted for 
their delicacy. 

With the first rains of the autumn come the runs 
of salmon on Eel River, Mad River, and the Klam- 
ath. The net fisherman's season then begins. 
Crabs abound in the waters of bay and ocean. 

BIRDS IN HUMBOLDT 

The following- list of the birds of Humboldt 
County was supplied by P. J. Smith, a prominent 
ornithologist of Eureka: Ducks: Mallard, gad- 
wall, widgeon, baldpate, green winged teal, blue- 
winged teal, cinnamon teal, shoveler teal, pintail, 
wood-duck, redhead, canvasback, scaup-duck, 
lesser scaup-duck, ring-necked, goldeneye, buffle- 
head, old squaw, harlequin, ruddy. 

Geese: Lesser snow-goose, Ross's, American 
white-fronted, Canada goose, Hutchins, white- 
cheeked, cackling, black sea-brant, emperor, whis- 
tling swan. 

Birds: American coot, California clapper-rail, 
Virginia rail, Wilson's snipe, long-billed dowitcher, 
knot, marbled godwit, greater yellow legs, long- 
billed curlew, Hudsonian curlew, black-billed plo- 
ver, kildeer, black oyster-catcher, mountain part- 
ridge, California partridge, sooty grouse, Oregon 
ruffed grouse, band-tailed pigeon, and mourning 
dove. 

ANIMALS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY 

William Rotermund, a prominent taxidermist 
of Eureka, gives the following list of animals to 
be found in Humboldt County: Coon, fox martin, 

21 



mink, otter, fisher (a carnivorous animal of the 
weasel type), civet-cat, weasel, wildcat, lynx, coy- 
ote, panther, black bear, brown bear, gray squirrel, 
ground squirrel, deer, elk, mountain beaver (almost 
extinct), mole, gopher. 



TABLE OF DISTANCES 



Eureka to — Miles 

Salmon Creek 11 

Table Bluff 12 

Fortuna 20 

Rohnerville 22 

Hydesville 25 

Bridgeville 48 

Blocksburg 70 

Alder Point 81 

Harris (according to route) 92 — 89 — 79 

Bell Springs long way 108 

Blue Rock \ . 115 

Cummings 122 

Ferndale 20 

Bear River 35 

Cape Mendocino 38 

Petrolia 50 

Areata 12 

Trinidad 2S 

Orick 51 

Requa 74 

Fort Seward 75 

22 



Kneeland Prairie 20 

Korbel 22 

Willits (according to route) 161 — 151 

Bell's Springs (according to route) 108 — 98 

McCann's Mills 56 

Bull Creek Forest 48 

Dyerville 47 

Red Bluff over Trinity Highway, about 170 

Big Lagoon 37 or 38 

South Pork to Pepperwood . . 9 

Pepperwood to Rio Dell 10 

Rio Dell to Portuna 8 

Fortuna to Singley's Station 4 

Singley's Station to Petrolia 36 

Petrolia to Garberville 48 

Stone Lagoon 46 or 47 

Petrolia to Briceland 40 

Briceland to Garberville 8 

Harris to Alder Point 11 

Harris to Blocksburg 22 



ALTITUDES OF OVERLAND POINTS 

Bell Springs 4,600 feet 

Harris 2,100 feet 

Fort Seward Junction . . 2,300 feet 

Fort Seward Station 350 feet 

Hubbard 2,000 feet. 

Fruitland 1,300 feet 

Young's Place 300 feet 

Dyerville 290 feet 

23 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 168 269 1 



For further information address the 
Humboldt Promotion and Development 
Committee. 

RUFUS ROCKWELL WILSON, Secretary 

Eureka, California 



DAILY STANDARD PRESS 



EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 



Conservation Resources 
Lig-Free® Type I 
Ph 8.5, Buffered 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 168 269 1 



